Stealing from Wizards

The Whispering Seashell

"There has been no sign of the child or indication of his identity. He is believed to have been lost in the fire that consumed Phineas' home during the raid.

"Hearn was finally found in a hidden chamber of one of the crumbling tenements of Detritus Lane. Neighbors denied having ever seen Hearn enter or exit the building, and claimed to be unaware of the chamber. Hearn had few possessions in the room, and appeared to have been living in poverty for some time. Members of the Senate and University that had once known Hearn, had difficulty confirming his identity due to the diminished state of the wizard.

"Sources inside the Royal Guard informed the Times that the capture went smoothly due to Hearn being too inebriated on Blandland wine to effectively cast spells.

"Sir Talen Dubois, recently appointed Knight Commander of the Canine Unit of the Queen's Guard, released a statement today celebrating the capture of Hearn as a 'great victory for whole of the Confederation, and an important step in discovering the location of the missing heir.

"Hearn is currently being held in Niflheim Prison awaiting trial." The article ended with a small photo of Kuro's Tutor.

"Helena, that was her name," thought Kuro.

He read the article again. The Times used too many large words for Kuro's liking. After a couple more readings he thought he understood most of it. The Hounds had come again. This time Phineas had been captured and sent to prison. They had not come back for Kuro, though. That meant Phineas hadn't told them about him, or at least not yet.

Phineas was protecting Kuro, for now. But Kuro knew that the Hounds were monstrous and relentless. It might not be long before Phineas would be unable to keep him a secret. Kuro couldn't do anything to save Phineas, but he could do a little to protect him. The Hounds may have raided their room, but they probably did not find the secret cupboard.

Kuro dashed back to their apartment. Fearful that the Hounds might return at any moment, or that they might already be there, he crept inside silently. He checked every corner and shadow for signs of wizardly presence before moving to the cabinet.

Kuro was, of course, forbidden from opening it without specific instructions. The thought of breaking one of his master's decrees made him weak with terror. However Kuro had also been ordered to protect Phineas from discovery. If he did not rescue the master's possessions, the trouble could be far worse.

Kuro pulled up the loose floorboard under the table and looked inside. He breathed a great sigh of relief when he found the contents of the hidden compartment untouched. He took stock of the few items: Phineas' battered journal, his satchel full of scientific implements and alchemical ingredients, a polished seashell in wooden box, and his enchanted cane.

Kuro quickly gathered the first three and reached for the cane. It was a simple thing, stained black and finely polished. No taller than Kuro, it looked like nothing more than a walking stick for a fine gentleman. He couldn't bring himself to pick it up.

That cane had done terrible things. In all of Kuro's worst nightmares, that cane was at the centre. It was a neuromantic cane, enchanted to amplify magics of the mind and allowed Phineas to control the thoughts and actions of people. Kuro's hand hovered over it, fearful of what would happen to him if he touched it.

'The cane isn't really secret,' he reasoned. 'It's just hidden for safety. Lots of people probably had them.' He could leave it and it wouldn't matter if the Hounds found it. It might even look better. An empty secret cupboard is much more suspicious than a full one. He breathed a deep sigh of relief and pulled his hand away from the terrifying stick. He closed up the compartment again, being careful to leave no signs of disturbance, no indication that the floorboard had ever been removed.